NEWMAN SMITH
ORCHESTRA DEPARTMENT
Desire...Discipline...Dedication
A Tradition of Musical Exellence
Welcome to a new year with the Newman Smith High School Orchestra!
It’s my pleasure to begin a new journey with you as I begin my tenure with the NSO. What an honor it is for me to be at the helm of a program that is the very epitome of success! I look forward to many exciting musical experiences, and I hope we can all make some very special memories together.
For me, coming to NSHS is really like coming “full circle” in my career. After two years of teaching private lessons at R. L. Turner High School and Field Middle School, I started the student teaching portion of my college career at NSHS, as well as Polk, Long, and Perry Middle Schools. At the end of my student teaching time, the fall of 2001, I was hired to be the Assistant Orchestra Director at Creekview High School, where I worked for five years. At Creekview, I taught Philharmonic, Camerata, and Concert orchestra classes, and I helped out at Blalack and Long Middle Schools. In 2006, I was hired to be the Head Orchestra Director at Bush Middle School. At Bush, we got our first UIL sweepstakes awards in seven years, and we had all three orchestras get sweepstakes awards in 2009! I love teaching both high school and middle school students, but I am super-excited to get to make amazing music with the incredible musicians at Smith.
I’m originally from the Houston area, and I attended Pasadena ISD schools. I graduated from South Houston High School, where I was a member of the Texas All-State Orchestras for four years. My degree is from UNT, and I got to play in some wonderful area orchestras and the UNT Symphony when I was in college.
My home is actually in the NSHS attendance zone, so I get to work and live in my own neighborhood. I can’t wait to get to know all of the orchestra members and their families as we work together to make inspiring music and as we make efforts to serve our community.
Sincerely yours,
Lamar Smith
Director of Orchestras